Meet Rajesh Mehta, world's biggest gold exporter who built Rs 2.5 lakh crore firm from Rs 1200 loan

Rajesh Mehta is a Bengaluru-based businessman who is the owner and executive chairperson of the company called Rajesh Exports. He was born in June 1964 in Bengaluru. His father Jasvantrai Mehta used to work in a private company. He started a small trading business named Rajesh Diamond Company.

Mehta went to Bengaluru's St Joseph's School. He wanted to be a doctor but he later joined his father's jewellery business. He and his brother Prashant took the mantle to grow his father's business.

He took a loan of Rs 1200 from his brother Bipin who used to work at a bank. He started a silver trading business. He bought jewellery from Chennai and sold it in Rajkot. He later started selling jewellery to wholesalers in Gujarat.

They later expanded their business in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

After his silver business became successful, he forayed into gold jewellery business in 1989. He started a gold manufacturing unit in his garage in Bengaluru. He started exporting gold to the UK, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait, US and Europe. His business grew to Rs 2 crore per year by 1992. By the year 1998, the business picked up and became a 1200 crore per year business. He later opened a store named Shubh Jewellers. The company now has scores of such stores all across Karnataka.

The company acquired Swiss refined Valcambi in July 2015. They even have refineries in Switzerland and India.

It is the world's largest gold exporter. The company's revenue in 2021 was Rs 2.58 lakh crore.

Rajesh Mehta is the founder chairman of the company and is responsible for the overall functioning of the company. He is also in-charge of the finance and marketing verticals.

In 2019, Forbes estimated his net worth to be 1.57 billion dollars which would be Rs 12950 crore at today's exchange rates.

The company exports gold jewellery and gold products from India, Switzerland and Dubai. The company exports products to over 60 countries. Valcambi produces gold bars for Valcambi. These bars are provided to jewellers.